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Crohns nutrition questions

I have some question regarding Crohn's. As I will find out soon whether my diagnosis is positive or not.

Im with the understanding that nutrtion is not absorbed as effectively with Crohn's diesese.

Does products such as Protein shakes and tablet vitamins prove beneficial to people with crohn's do the shakes nutrtion absorb into the body better then solid food?

Regarding vegetables and fruit, are they best taken as juice, made with a juice machine? Similar to teh protein question, do the juices absorb better?

Also are probiotics reccomended for Crohn's patients? and if so are there certain strains reccomended or not reccomended?

Thank You.
 

GoJohnnyGo

One Badass Dude
First off, welcome to the forum.

I'm following pretty much the measures you describe, and while it's not helping, it isn't hurting. As such, it's still probably a good idea to continue on the regimen.

I look at vitamins as being what they are -- supplements to round off a healthy diet. Just my opinion, but the natural nutrient intake method is best. As such "home-made" nutrition over "store-bought."

I do the juice/smoothie thing whenever I can, but it's not the primary method for me. I still take solid food despite the myriad pains.

Some folks here swear by the probiotics. Personally, I am taking Garden of Life's Primal Defense (lower dose than recommended) but drink probiotic yogurt.

But everything really depends on what you feel is the best course for you.

Hopefully, you can get some answers soon. From there, you can devise your battle plan. Good luck!
 
Thanks man,
One of my main concerns is my weight loss. Ive lost 15 kilo's in 8 months,
I need to put some weight back on, thus the weight gainer protein shakes,
hopefully i can at least stabilise some weight before i fade away into nothing.

Is there any diet resources online that are helpful?
I dont really know at all where to start.
 
hey simo, welcome to the forums.

my best advice on those powders would be to search through these forums at BWS's and Jeff D's posts.

they've been involved in a lot of discussions about food and weight gain, bothy are really quite knowedgeable on the subject.

if i get some time later, i'll link you to a few of their threads.

welcome,
Jed.

(p.s. if your new to forums, find a post by one of those two, click on their name and then select find more posts by ** in the drop down list)
 

GoJohnnyGo

One Badass Dude
Yeah, I'm actually losing a fair amount of weight (not good, I wasn't that big to begin with). Maybe 20 lbs since July (the start of my current flare-up). Gone down a pant size already. Hard to tell from my picture, though. I have a large, round bobblehead.

Managed to choke down a steak last night, much to my gastric distress. Nausea seems to be a new symptom for me as of late.
 
It really can also depend on the area of your Crohns, what is affected, how severely, and for how long. Your doctor or medical "team" can assist in that area, if you come back as positive, which nobody would wish upon you, that is.

Thanks Jed, I'm glad Jeff is here to help as well, and I've seen some good nutritional posting by many members as well. It's kind of an odd result, but once you have this disease, you have this urge to know what the hell you can do to minimize it's rampage on your body, so reading about Crohns nutrition is eventually something a lot of us do at one point, the sad thing is, due to the variations and mysteries abound, you often end up at square one or with a big "WTF?" look on your face, because it's so different for each person. Thus, in the end, an often brutal trial-and-error is needed.

Their are some basics on weight gaining, even with Crohns, that those links should provide, if you have questions Simo further than that, we'd all be here still. Best of luck.
 
I was reading somewhere about L-Glutamine this is meant to be a good supplememnt for crohn's, I beleive.

Anyone take supplements of L-Glutamine?
 
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I know a bodybuilder (well, he's from Rockford IL an hour away, never met him in person) who swore by L Glutamine supplementation for an immunity benefit that fought an issue he was born with, and it kept returning every time he stopped it. It's the most abundant amino acid in our diets, so it takes around a dozen or two grams to supplement to see benefits of any kind most times, but it is cheap. It's quite healthy, and really it's nothing more than protein, but it has distinct properties that make it unique. Many bodybuilders will state that because L Glutamine is so bountiful in the civilized diet that supplementation is a waste of money as long as you eat a lot of animal products, but if you look at it's benefits as being 2 sided, it may be worth it if you can afford a little extra (it's actually fairly cheap, but with a lot of money going elsewhere for health, it depends). It helps with muscle building/preservation, as well as immunity and even digestive health, but I don't know what kind of quantities you have to consume for the digestive benefits, or if Crohns is affected by larger consumptions. I've meant to try it for digestive health, but because I couldn't work out enough while flaring badly to get it's other benefits, I figured it to be a waste.

Men's Total Fitness said this about it a while back:

Immune System
L glutamine supplements may also help boost the immune system by being one of the building blocks for the body’s most powerful anti-oxidant, glutathione. For bodybuilders and athletes, the need for glutamine increases due to the added stress to the body. Without adequate levels of L glutamine stores in the body during this stress, susceptibility to illnesses increases. You can’t lift weights or exercise when you’re sick so strengthening the immune system is important. Glutamine supplements may restore depleted glutamine levels in the body, which would boost the immune system and consequently, help prevent you from getting sick. This could be a significant benefit of L glutamine supplementation.

Intestinal Stress

Glutamine has pronounced effects on the health of the gut. Some studies have found that supplementing with glutamine can even cure ulcers.

L Glutamine Side Effects

The good news is, there appears to be no adverse L glutamine side effects. Glutamine occurs naturally in the body so it’s a safe supplement to take. You may, however, experience an upset stomach if you take excessive amounts of L glutamine so stick with the recommended doses.
 
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